ABOUT SINGALILA

Located at Singalila ridge in Darjeeling district, Singlalila is a highest attitude park of West Bengal with height ranging from 7900ft to 12,000 ft. It makes the border with neighboring country of Nepal to the west and with state Sikkim to the North.

The park is part of the Eastern Himalayas. The Singalila Ridge, which runs roughly North to South separates Himalayan West Bengal from the other Eastern Himalayan ranges to the west of it. The two highest peaks of West Bengal, Sandakphu (3630 m) and Phalut (3600 m), are located on the ridge inside the park. River Rammam and River Sirikhola meander through the park.Singalila National Park is divided into two Ranges (i) North Range (Rimbick) and (ii) South Range (Maneybhanjyang). Within this two ranges there are four beats namely, (i) Gairibas, (ii) Sandkphu, (iii) Rammam and (iv) Gorkhey.

The mountainous terrain of the park is interspersed by innumerable streams supporting a subtropical humid climate leading to tree growth beyond the snowline unlike in the Western Himalayas. The vegetation of the park may be broadly classified as temperate and alpine type. The dominant flora comprises bamboo, oak, magnolia, rhododendron, Primula, Geranium, Saxifraga, Bistort, Senecio. Mammals found here include Red Panda, Leopard Cat, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin, Himalayan Black Bear, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Serow, Takin, and Tiger.The park also supports a variety of birds like Blood Pheasant, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Himalayan Griffon, Steppe Eagle, Golden Eagle, Spotted Nutcracker, Plain-backed Thrush, Rufous-breasted Bush Robin, Blue-capped Redstart, White-throated Redstart, Eurasian Tree creeper, Buff-barred Warbler, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler, Black-throated Parrot bill, Alpine Accentor, Robin Accentor, Brown Accentor, White-winged Grosbeak and Little Bunting.

WHEN TO GO ?

The best time to visit the park is September to May when it is a paradise for trekkers.